SGPE - Widening Participation Scholarship

You are required to also submit all the following information by this deadline:

Personal statement outlining which of the eligibility criteria you are applying on the basis of

Supporting documents that prove you satisfy one of the eligibility criteria, e.g. proof of address during last year of pre-university education, proof of maintenance grant or bursary receipt, proof of care experience

In case you satisfy multiple eligibility criteria, please provide supporting documentation for all that you wish to be considered. This will help your application.

High school and undergraduate transcripts and award certificates.

Your CV.

The Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics (SGPE, hosted by the University of Edinburgh) is pleased to offer one scholarship to support those students who may face barriers in accessing postgraduate study.

Awards

We are offering one scholarship which includes full tuition fees for one of our MSc programmes for entry in the 2026-2027 academic year and a contribution towards cost of living. This scholarship is available for students who are eligible to pay home fees living in Scotland, and who meet at least one of our widening participation criteria.

Eligibility

Only holders of a conditional or unconditional offer to join one of the SGPE MSc programmes are eligible to apply for this scholarship. You can find out more information about our MSc programmes on our website at the following link: Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics.

You must also meet the following eligibility criteria:

you are eligible to pay Home fees, as defined by the University at the following link: Work out your fee status

you have been living in Scotland for at least 5 years.

In addition, you must meet at least one of the following eligibility criteria:

You were/are in receipt of a Maintenance Grant as an undergraduate (if you started your undergraduate course after August 2016 you will need to provide evidence from the Student Loans Company to confirm your household income was assessed as £40,000 or less).

You were/are in receipt of a Young Students' Bursary, an Independent Students' Bursary, or a Care Experienced Students' Bursary as an undergraduate-as assessed by Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

During the last year of pre-university education, you lived in an area within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation lowest 40% (SIMD40) or an area which has educations or skills domain decile 2 (lowest 20%). To check your eligibility for the postcode criterion above, use the postcode lookup tool on the University website at the following link: Postcode lookup tool. We will use the home address where you lived during your last year of school or college).

You have been an unpaid carer during pre-university or university education. The definition of an unpaid carer follows that provided by The Carers Trust UK, a charity which works with individuals who have unpaid caring responsibilities. ''A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem, or an addiction cannot cope without their support.'' We accept the following evidence of unpaid carer status: a Health Care Professional confirming caring responsibilities, Adult Carer Support Plans, Young Carer Statement, or Carers Card from a Carers Centre.

You are care-experienced (more information on this is available at the following link: Support for Students with Care Experience). We define care experience as any time spent in care at any stage of your life.